A RISE in scams involving stolen bank cards have led to warnings by police on handling security and personal details.

The warning comes after a number of incidents across the country where purses have been stolen from places of work, in particular hospitals, doctors’ surgeries and council offices.

The victims then received a phone call, often at work, from one of the offenders, who claimed to be from their bank, saying there had been unusual activity on their accounts and asking the account holders to confirm details such as their PIN for security reasons.

This then allowed the scam artist to use the nearest cash machine to withdraw the victims’ money. None of the victims knew their purse or wallet had been stolen at the time of the phone call.

Constable Ben Oakley, from Shrewsbury Police Station, said while this type of offence remained rare, there had been a number reported to police in the past few weeks.

“These offences usually involve more than one offender, who are often well dressed, well spoken and sound plausible so do not immediately arouse suspicion,” he said.

“Those who enter the premises to steal the items may pretend to be on their phone or too busy to speak and confirm their details in order to discourage anyone from challenging them.

“Likewise, the second offender who calls often sounds very credible but we would stress that a genuine bank or building society would never ask you to confirm your details from a cold call. If they have called you then they already know who you are.

“No bank will ever ask you to confirm your PIN. Never, ever give out any banking information or confirm any of your personal details to a cold caller.”

Staffordshire police hints and tips on how to avoid being a victim of a purse theft scam include:

n Never give any details such as your PIN, home address, passwords or security codes to anyone who calls and asks for them. Only ever provide such details if you have called the bank yourself.

n If anyone does call and ask for personal or banking information, tell them you will call them back and then look up their number yourself either from the phone book or your bank’s website.

n When at work, never be afraid to ask or check who a person is that you do not recognise if they are in a restricted area. While the offenders may be quite presentable, they are unlikely to have any proper ID or documentation. If you are concerned, contact your security or even the police on 0300 333 3000.

n Always keep your personal belongings secure, even at work. Do not leave handbags, purses or wallets in unlocked offices or on top of or underneath tables. Just because they are out of sight does not mean they are safe.

n Never write passwords or PINs down or keep them with any bank cards you might have. This only makes it easier for an offender to access your bank account if you are unlucky enough to have your cards stolen.

If you are unfortunate enough to become a victim of such theft, cancel your bank cards immediately and contact the police.

Constable Oakley added: “These few small measures can both help prevent an offence from happening in the first place and help identify offenders

“These offences amount to theft, fraud and even in some cases identity theft. But by being alert to the scam and not giving offenders the access and information they need, people can help us deal with them.”